12 years in jail for father who held children hostage at Kidlington flat + Audio

A FATHER-of-two who held his twin daughters hostage during a siege after taking a “devastating cocktail of drugs and alcohol” has been jailed for 12 years.

Daniel Rodriquez barricaded the door of a Kidlington flat and fired two blank rounds out of the window during a 12-hour stand-off with dozens of armed officers on July 9 last year.

Rachel Drake, prosecuting at Oxford Crown Court, said the siege started after the 38-year-old’s girlfriend, who was being held captive in her flat, jumped out of a window to escape while he was sleeping and contacted the police at around 3.15am.

She said when officers arrived, Rodriquez had taken crack cocaine, heroin and valium, was “very agitated and distressed”, and told them he was considering taking his own life.

The barrister told Judge Ian Pringle that police managed to negotiate the release of the two two-year-olds, one at 7.30am and the other at 9.30am, in return for food and provisions that were passed up to Rodriquez in a rucksack. But Miss Drake said the defendant, who celebrated his birthday the day before, refused to give himself up until 3.40pm, when he was finally Tasered by officers in the foyer of the block of flats.

In October he admitted four firearms offences, which relate to his possession of a blank-firing replica revolver and a lever-powered air rifle during the siege.

Armed police during the siege in Kidlington last July

Miss Drake added that Rodriquez has numerous previous convictions for a range of offences, including drug possession, robbery, ABH, theft and burglary.

Lucy Tapper, defending, said her client has a borderline personality disorder and is also bipolar.

She said: “The devastating cocktail of drugs and alcohol Mr Rodriquez had consumed, coupled with his overwhelming sense of anxiety and paranoia, caused him to react badly to what he found that morning, when great numbers of police arrived at his house.

Police rescue the second child during the siege

“The children were never put in any genuine danger by him.

“He had got them up like normal, got them their breakfast and they were watching TV in the bedroom.

“One of the officers reports hearing them happy and laughing in the background during the siege.

“He will always regret what he did and continues to feel sorry.

“The situation escalated at a degree that no-one could have predicted or foreseen.”

Passing sentence, Judge Pringle described Rodriquez as “a man who sees himself at the same time as a hard man and a victim”.

He said that what the defendant had done was “appalling” and had been made worse by a dangerous mixture of drugs and drink.

Judge Pringle sentenced him for two offences in relation to an imitation firearm and two other firearms offences.

He also faced sentencing yesterday for three counts of raping a woman and one sexual assault on a woman.

Det Sgt Jim Holmes

Investigating officer Det Sgt Jim Holmes said: “Thankfully these incidents are very rare. And the local community responded fantastically and helped the officers on the ground to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.”

Comments

Lord Palmerstone
12:59pm Sat 25 Jan 14

"The devastating cocktail of drugs and alcohol Mr Rodriquez had consumed, coupled with his overwhelming sense of anxiety and paranoia, caused him to react badly to what he found that morning, when great numbers of police arrived at his house. "
Yes Miss Tapper. or maybe he's just a profoundly evil human being?
“He will always regret what he did and continues to feel sorry"
An incomplete quote. Should have ended "...that he was caught"

"The devastating cocktail of drugs and alcohol Mr Rodriquez had consumed, coupled with his overwhelming sense of anxiety and paranoia, caused him to react badly to what he found that morning, when great numbers of police arrived at his house. "
Yes Miss Tapper. or maybe he's just a profoundly evil human being?
“He will always regret what he did and continues to feel sorry"
An incomplete quote. Should have ended "...that he was caught"Lord Palmerstone

"The devastating cocktail of drugs and alcohol Mr Rodriquez had consumed, coupled with his overwhelming sense of anxiety and paranoia, caused him to react badly to what he found that morning, when great numbers of police arrived at his house. "
Yes Miss Tapper. or maybe he's just a profoundly evil human being?
“He will always regret what he did and continues to feel sorry"
An incomplete quote. Should have ended "...that he was caught"

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